Realistic or Modern A Family Affair: The Irish Mob - IC (Ended)

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James listened to Rudy speak of the portrait he'd finished, unable to hide the curious smile from his face as he mentioned the St. Bernard. "Perhaps I could have you paint my dogs sometime," he suggested. "Especially as Lady and Samson aren't getting any younger," he added, thinking of the two older Porter dogs.

He nodded when the man mentioned he wasn't up to much other than taking inventory. The ammunition was something which was used or sold and then replaced relatively frequently. The explosives, James didn't like and he never had and the less they were sold on, the better. "Well, I trust there is no change with the explosives?" he asked. He would prefer bombs to be eliminated completely. However, that would never happen so James believed if they had to be in circulation, they would be on his terms. The most interested parties were political ones and if it was in national interest, James was willing to supply. Otherwise, he wouldn't be merciful on anyone who took anything without his permission.

"Well, a lot of folks made a commendable effort to come celebrate Lucy's birthday." He looked around to see which of the guests would be new faces for Rudy. "Turns out Conor has a kid, so his ex-girlfriend, Alex, and daughter, Michelle, are here tonight... along with Alex's sister, Fallon. Fallon also happens to be Jackson's girlfriend. Also, Lucy's cousin Kieran arrived last night, though I'm not sure where he's at right now." He let out a deep breath. "I'm struggling to keep up too," he remarked.

Shireling (Rudy)

 

[Shireling]

Rudolph Meyers​

To the question of whether he would paint James's dogs, Rudy waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, Mr. Porter, I'll do it free of charge." He sobered up when they moved on to talk of 'inventory' and he nodded.

"No, no movement in the more valuable merchandise. Just a lot of .45 going in and out," he supplied. He knew that James was on edge about selling explosives, and for good reason. Anarchists and communists were making a mess of the Continent with handmade bombs and what was worse would be American-style crackdowns that took up legitimate political organizations in their dragnet. Most of the violence in Ireland was concentrated in Belfast of course, which was not Irish soil, but bombs in the hands of radicals generally helped no one.

James went on to describe all the people he might not have been acquainted with at the party. He nodded pensively. "That's hard to keep up with..." Rudy checked his pocket watch before placing it back in his coat.

"A little bird told me, Jim," he said, becoming more informal as he was certain that no one could overhear them who wasn't supposed to, "that your brother was back from the nuthouse, and he's muscle for the IWU."

Rudy had often voiced displeasure for labor movements in general, IWU in particular, citing their previous embrace of international communism. Being a German, he took it personally as Stalin had put half his people thoroughly under the Soviet jackboot after the war. Although they were no longer outspokenly pro-Soviet, trade unions in general appeared to him like political profiteering on the backs of the working man.

Misty Gray

 

[Enzyme]

Eli Porter

​

Eli twirled the empty bottle between his fingers as he looked out over the tall Porter hedges. Her familiar voice hardly startled him, instead keeping his gaze stiff. "Nah, me and James didn't have dis' absurd security growin' up, and we got our arses kicked into shape. His kids are prolly' turning into preppy pricks," He bitterly replied as he placed the bottle next to him. He looked to Ciara she she mentioned the attacks, shaking his head subtly.

"You kiddin'? James wouldn't break a nail now, prolly had one of his men do it for 'im." Even he knew he was giving James a harder time then he deserved, but why should he respect the fact that James had turned into a bloody aristocrat? "Right, I know yous' need a good impression..." Eli muttered as he stood up. Seeing as he was no longer dressed formally, he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and walked back into the house.

Making a scene had always been an impulse of Eli's, but he couldn't seem to shake the guilty feeling of raining on James' parade. Eli knew he had to at least try and appear civil, on both Ciara and James' behalf. He passively pushed his way through the crowd, able to spot James talking to one of his men. "that your brother was back from the nuthouse" Eli slowly meandered up behind them, keeping his limp, muscular arms by his sides. "Is that what we're callin' it now?" His deep undertone was deathly serious. His eyes pierced into Rudolph's skull, flailing his nostrils and appearing rather insulted. Was he an absolute lunatic? No doubt about it; yet the blunt comments had still managed to dig under his skin. His withered knuckles tightened as both of his hands balled into a fist, his deranged stare confirmed that he had completely forgotten what he had set out to do.

Misty Gray (Ciara/James) Shireling (Rudolph)

 

[nymphadora.]

F A L L O N // ROMANO

place ;; james' office.
tags ;; Enzyme Misty Gray
mentioned ;; jackson + james.

Fallon nodded as the two men spoke. Moving closer to Jackson silently as James spoke, tears still formed in her eyes but Fallon stayed silent, it was time to move on. A soft hitch in her breathing escaped her painted lips as Jackson moved closer, she wasn't one show her emotional side but Jackson made her feel at ease. She quietly followed him out of James' office, giving the man who was suppose to be the enemy before devoting herself entirely to Jackson.

Fallon noticed that they were surrounded by happy couples swaying with each other that made Fallon think, could they ever be like that? Fallon used to dream of being the perfect housewife but she wasn't so sure after what happened in Chicago but she knew Jackson would make a great father, Fallon wasn't so sure if she could be a decent mother. She slithered her arms around Jackson'sneck as she swayed with him, blinking back the tears she tried to conceal. She kept her focus on the ground before Jackson started talking about their first time meeting each other, a slight smile formed on her lips as she choked on her laughter as Jackson continued, "Don't deny it, I look good as a blonde," She joked before returning the kiss, "I know I can be shitty, god-awful girlfriend to you but it's not easy to express emotions when your childhood was stolen by your own father," Fallon sighed, pausing for beat before continuing, "Whatever happens, I want you by my side, even if it means walking through Hell again." She spoke with a soft voice, her eyes locking with his as she spoke.

 

[neverbackdown]

Mallory Porter
Mallory watched as the little girl made her way over to Conor and Alexandra, she couldn’t help but wonder who she was and why they were here and so instead of wandering off , she decided to stay put so she could get some information. She watched as Michelle made her statement and was entirely shocked when Conor affirmed it, Conor was a father?. She watched as the little girl stormed off and was quickly followed by Alex and then Conor.

Mallory knew she wouldn’t get the information she wanted now and stored it away to ask at a later stage. Wandering around everyone seemed to be locked in conversation and she didn’t want to intrude in them, she poured herself a drink before making her way outside, fresh air seemed like a good idea. Once outside Mallory heard Tommy’s voice and smirked as she overheard the conversation “having fun?” She asked as she came to a stop beside them

Misty Gray​

 

[neverbackdown]

Michelle and Alex Romano
Alexandra watched as Conor talked to Michelle, a small smile playing on her lips as she watched the interaction between the two. For someone who was so nervous, he sure was doing a good job of it now. She decided to let Conor deal with this situation right now , knowing that it would help start their relationship and also that Alex is going to be dealing with it when they get home.

Michelle listened to Conor as he spoke , a small frown playing on her lips for a few seconds when he thought he’d never see her again. “I wish you didn’t go” she said quietly, her hand still holding onto the necklace around her neck.

When Conor pointed it out, Michelle smiled again as she nodded her head eagerly “I do it’s really pretty” she said with a grin. “Did you really pick it out alone?” She asked him

Misty Gray​

 

[Misty Gray]

Ciara Hennessy and James Porter​

Ciara frowned as Eli spoke about the Porters' security and how he didn't have any of that with James as kids. "Eli, I've seen these people before. They're rougher around the edges than I am," she remarked. "With the exception of a few, of course," she added, thinking of the sickly sweet Sinead. "But I'm not going to bloody argue about it because you've already decided you're going to be this way about it tonight," she gave in, shrugging her shoulders. Best not make things too easy for James if she wanted leverage for later.

"You think your brother won't do any of his dirty work himself?" she curiously asked. "Perhaps one day we could put that to the test..." she trailed off. Eli then got up to return to the party, apparently intending on making a good impression. Ciara sighed as she got up to follow him. She wasn't going to learn much sat outside trying to soften Eli's views towards his brother anyway.

​

James raised an amused eyebrow as Rudy called him 'Jim'. It wasn't often people called him that, so it always felt strange when he did hear it. Then, the man went on to ask about Eli's involvement with the IWU, but that wasn't the part that stuck with James. The casual use of 'nuthouse' made James cringe, despite it being a social norm for people to passively disregard or disrespect those deemed as mentally unstable. It wasn't just the fact his brother disliked such terminology, but he himself understood how sensitive the situation was. Eli was his brother and James didn't like to hear anyone show insensitivity towards his illness. James had also been around when Sinead had her big breakdown and was treated like crap in one of those 'nuthouses' for weeks. He cleared his throat as he decided to correct Rudy in the nicest way possible. "Mate, I wo--"

Ciara realised Eli had overheard Rudy's words and she let out an exasperated sigh. This happened much more frequently and with worse terminology than Eli realised. She'd heard people speak of him behind his back and put them in their place about it. This time, Eli had heard it for himself and Ciara wasn't sure if she would help calm him down on this one, partly because he was already in a stubborn mood and partly because she wasn't his babysitter.

James started to become quite irritated by this evening as a whole. He'd just wanted to throw a party to make his beautiful wife feel special. He just hoped none of his own stresses tonight were affecting her evening. "No, Eli. That's not what we're calling it," James firmly told his brother as he turned to face him...

Interaction: Enzyme (Eli) Shireling (Rudy)
(...Giving Rudy chance to react before James says/does more.)

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor caught Michelle's frown before she proceeded to saying she wished he hadn't gone. He was in a real mess the day he left Chicago to travel. The year leading up to that had been the worst in his life and he'd just wanted to escape everything he knew to regain clarity about himself. He wasn't sure that was something he should tell a kid. It would only lead to more questions and ones that would be far too close to home, not to mention traumatic for a child to hear. Hearing her grandfather Emmet had been murdered on the request of her other grandfather Vinnie would be horrifying. Learning of any of the things her Italian grandfather had done to hurt Conor himself would harm her too.

"I wish I hadn't gone too," he told her. "But we can't go back in time, so how about we just go from here?" he suggested, hoping his daughter understood.

Conor feigned an offended expression when Michelle questioned whether he'd really picked out the necklace. "Um, of course I picked it out. Do you think I don't have any taste, huh?" he lightly teased. He folded his arms and chuckled. "Michelle, I grew up with two glamorous sisters - your Auntie Lucy and Auntie Sinead. So, I learned a thing or two about jewelry and fashion, I'll have you know."



neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle)

Thomas Dempsey​

Tommy heard Mallory's voice and turned to face her, grinning as he noticed the remnants of a smirk on her face. "Of course I'm having fun. All of the cool people are out here," he joked, glancing between the three kids as he said it. "Other than the lack of drinks, this is where the entertainment's at. How's the party going indoors?" he curiously asked. He was intending on having a catch up with some of the others before the party ended, but right now he was keeping an eye on the kids and he didn't mind.

"Mal!" Emery exclaimed as she looked to her cousin with a big smile on her face. "I like your dress. Mummy stopped letting me wear that colour 'cos I always get dirty," she informed her, speaking as though that information was the most interesting piece of knowledge Mallory would pick up that day.

"Hate to break it to your mum, but black isn't the answer for you, either," Tommy commented before pointing to Emery's black shoes which were now covered in dried mud. He then looked back to Mallory and smiled, recalling how she'd bumped into him the previous night and then she proceeded to smash a shop window before she left with Montag. "Are you doing alright?" he asked the blonde, his tone now more serious.

neverbackdown (Mallory)

 

[Shireling]

Rudolph Meyers
​

Rudy raised his eyebrows and sighed, muttering, "Oh Christ" at just a barely perceptible whisper. Eli looked like a human freight train and he had no interest in quibbling with him tonight over terminology for mental health institutions.

"Sorry," he offered, "the term now is, what? Mental health institution? Or have they taken to calling them wellness centers?"

He looked at James with an expression that communicated, "Dear Mother-of-God please bail me out."

Misty Gray Enzyme

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

When Sinead instructed her to stay put, she did. As she watched the scene before her, she decided to find a bigger cup to fill so instead of the small one she held. This way, she'd get more out of her cup and be a lot more satisfied. The whole scene, the proposal, Lucy and Sinead becoming giddy about the the wedding, it was nice. Ali enjoyed watching others be happy, even if she wasn't. Although she would never admit it to anyone, one of her greatest joys was seeing people happy. But it all faded when she made eye contact with Conor.

For some reason, when she saw him with Alex and then Michelle, she felt a stabbing in her chest. She looked away from him with a frown and put her hand up to her chest. What was it she was feeling? Betrayal? Heartbreak? Whatever it was was adding on to her annoyance and anger. But for the sake of the party, for the sake of Lucy, she would keep her feelings in check. And what better way to do that than to drink until she no longer could? But, she couldn't continue drinking without a partner. That's when she spotted Montag.

Tonight she had plans on getting drunk to drown out her head and heart but she didn't want to do it alone. Plus, it'd get her out of Conor's eyesight so he could quit looking at her with that stupid smile, she thought. Making her way through the crowd, she put eyes on Leo and Delilah for a split second. She knew he was dating someone, but never knew that someone was Delilah. One issue at a time, she thought to herself. For now, she'd leave it alone but later she was going to hem him up. Weaving through the crowd, she finally made her way over to Montag and handed him a glass of what she was drinking, whiskey. "Montag, Montag, Montag. Where have you been all my life?" She joked.

Leo could only smile when she agreed to tell her parents. He wasn't so sure as to how they would take it, trying to put himself in their shoes. The two of them had been dating for some time now and her parents never knew. Even his own sister didn't know they were dating. He hid it all very well, but now he was going to have to come up with an excuse to it. But those were thoughts for another time. For now, he'd watch the Porter's engagement, fingers locked with Delilah's. There was a lot happening, actually, and now that he had seen it he remembered everything Aliana had filled him in on. Conor had a kid with Alex.

It occurred to him that he never checked up on her after their awkward introduction and started looking around. If his girlfriend asked what he was looking for, he'd respond by telling her he was looking for Ali. Being as tall as he was, he didn't have to do much searching. He spotted her talking to Montag, a taller glass of alcohol in her hand. He sighed and just knew he was going to be struggling getting her to bed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. "Ali is going to get drunk, which means I'm the babysitter." He took a pause before looking down at Delilah, a grin creeping onto his face. "Hey, let's play hide and seek. We go hide somewhere and leave who ever to come looking for us later?"

(Just so this doesn't get lost lmao) ​

 

[neverbackdown]

Michelle and Alex Romano
Michelle bit her lip when Conor said that he wish he hadn’t left as well. She didn’t really understand why he did or at least why they didn’t go with him or why they had all been living so close and he didn’t visit but she knew that she wouldn’t get straight answer. Grown ups were so confusing and weird so that’s why she wasn’t ever going to grow up.

When Conor talked about picking up fashion tips from his sister, Michelle smiled “so you can take me shopping because mam doesn’t have good taste” Michelle laughed. Alex looked at her daughter in shock “What is that supposed to mean?” She asked the shock clear in her tone.
“Well you wanted to put me in a dress” Michelle exclaimed in a horrified tone. Alex shook her head “because it’s a party” she said to which Michelle shook her head “that doesn’t mean I have to dress up” . Alex decided to not indulge her daughter with another answer, knowing that this argument would never end if she did.

Michelle looked back at Conor with a curious look “so it’s lucy’s birthday the girl with blonde hair like mine?” She questioned “and Sinead is Savvy’s mam?” She asked, it was clear that Michelle was trying to put it all together in her little head “So isn’t Savvy, Emery and Braden my cousins?” She finally asked.


Mallory Porter
Mallory laughed “I better stay so if this is the cool crowd” she joked taking a seat on the bench, “here have some of this” she offered him her glass of vodka, it was obvious that he hadnt drank yet . Mallory guessed he had gone straight from the gates to out minding the children.

Before she could speak again, Emery’s voice spoke up and Mallory looked down towards her adorable little cousin “thank you Emmy, you look lovely “ she told her with a smile but a smirk took over her features as she claimed to not be allowed to wear white and this was quickly followed with Thomas pointing out that her shoes were dirty. “It’s better to be dirty than clean, it means your having fun” she told her cousin. She meant no sexual reference to this and the smirk dropped for a second as she realized it could be picked up that way but Emery was just a child and so she would see it as an innocent statement.

When Thomas spoke to her again, Mallory turned to face him a small smile on her face as she recalled last night. “Yeah I’m great” she told him , however this was not necessarily the truth as the events from the end of last night came back to her mind but she quickly brushed it off just wanting to completely forget it altogether. “How are you? You haven’t done that before have you?” She asked him, seriousness also creeping into her tone, but the way she spoke gave away that maybe last night wasn’t the first time she had done something troubling.

​

 

[Enzyme]

Eli Porter​

Eli kept his nostrils flared and knuckles clenched, James' implication ricocheting off like a wooden arrow against a plate of armor. "Nah, mate, we call it a bloody hellhole, a torture chamba'." His bottom lip slowly curled over his top, his deranged state giving him an appearance of an animalistic over-bite. "They took our happy lives of waterfalls and rainbows and covered 'dem wit' cement. They took everythin' from us, humiliated us. You think we're crazy? you shoulda' seen our 'supervisors'. I once saw one of them psychotic doctors decapitate a harmless unicorn. Slayed a beautiful creature right in front of me."

He stepped closer to Rudolph, getting mere inches away from his face. "These places aren't a bloody joke, they aren't propa'." His drooped, unhinged eyes traced to James, wanting to make this point clear to both of them. His stare was cold, the complete transition blink-less. He then shifted his dry, bloodshot eyes back to Rudolph. "Do you think i'm mental, mate?"

Shireling (Rudolph) Misty Gray (James)

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James looked to Rudolph as he apologised and asked for clarification on the accepted terminology for where Eli had been incarcerated. He could see the look in the man's eyes, practically pleading for help out of this mess. His head then snapped back to Eli as the man began to ramble about his time in the 'hellhole'. A tale of rainbows and unicorns, it seemed.

James' posture stiffened as Eli got closer to Rudy. When his brother briefly shifted his vision to him, it felt like the final straw. He then questioned Rudolph about whether he thought he was mental. "That's enough!" James spoke up, his voice stern and commanding. He stretched his arm out, pressing the palm of his hand against Rudolph's chest to push him backwards, away from Eli. "Do you really want to do this, Eli?" James asked, not once shifting his eyes away from his brother. No matter how aggressive and unstable his brother was, James wasn't going to sit back whilst he threatened the guests. "Rudy used the wrong word and you've told him off for it. I don't like the word he used either, but you've set him straight, so move the fuck on." He shook his head. "I'm happy you came here tonight and I was looking forward to catching up with you, but I won't have you continue to act like this. My brother isn't a whining, miserable shit. You should be happy I'm not rotting in a prison cell or dead in a ditch, but maybe you'd prefer if I was one of those?"


Interaction: Enzyme (Eli) Shireling (Rudy)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter

Lucy nodded her head once as Kieran mentioned that he was going to go, leaving her to her own devices. Lucy stood by herself for a moment and took in the calm party scene around her. She was enjoying herself but she had noticed something was incredibly off. Normally, she was able to see her husband by this point in the night, if the party was truly going as smooth as everyone was saying it was. But as she looked around she spotted him, Rudy and Eli who looked miserable and angry. Biting her lip, she looked around at the guests and moved her way over to her husband. Lucy was about to intervene to ask what's wrong when Rudy was practically shoved her way as she approached him from behind, trying to reach James on the other side of him. The blonde caught wind of what was happening, hearing the words her husband said to his brother. Lucy could see the fear in Rudy's face from her position and took the opportunity of being so close. Gently grabbing his arms from behind, she leaned forward. "Its just me, Lucy." She explained softly and looked to James, who was trying hard to make sure his brother didn't fly off the handle.

Forcibly pulling Rudy behind herself now, she knew Eli wouldn't go as far as to get past her for the man who angered him. Or she really hoped he wouldn't. "Go on now Rudy, we will speak with you later about this." She made it clear to the man that she wasn't happy with him, as he set her brother-in-law off in some sort of way. Eli was like a firecracker really, unpredictable and dangerous if left in the wrong hands. This Ciara person he was with seemed to have a good hold on him, but as her eyes found the woman, she only stood back. Lucy caught sight of the beautiful ring on her finger and took a step back a moment, wondering if this was her doing in the end. Eli had been upset when James proposed to her again, storming out before anything else could be said or done. Lucy wondered what Eli really thought of her and her kids, what he really thought of his brother... Lucy's eyes found James and she couldn't help but look a little saddened by this revelation, if it proved to be true. Her family seemed to be the reason that James didn't have one...or that he rarely saw them. Rudy still stood somewhat behind her, still probably shocked over the situation at hand, but Lucy stood her ground and stayed where he had been standing, not moving to let a fight break out; nobody in this house needed that tonight, and not just because it was her birthday.
______________________________________________________
With: James Misty Gray ; Eli Enzyme ; Rudy Shireling Mentions: Ciara Misty Gray

 

[Enzyme]

Eli Porter​

James stepped between them just as Eli had subtly brandished the Colt 1903 from the front of his waistband. Eli's deranged gaze cut to his older brother as he began to berate him. "What you gonna' do then? Order me around like i'm one of ya' fuckin' servants?" Eli asked, his voice sounding congested and weighted. He tilted his head towards James in a patronizing manner. "You may think you got all of ya' little preppy friends here fooled, but only I know who you really are - people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

He stepped closer to James, his facial expressions too impassive for anyone to read. "I'll see you next week for brunch." With that, he turned towards Lucy, who was keeping Rudolph behind her. "Tough ol' Lucy is gonna keep the dickhead safe," Eli said in a sardonic manner. "Please, the only thing you got in ya' is my brother's cock," Eli scoffed.

As he turned towards the exit, he noticed the sea of shocked people that had gathered around him. He quickly snapped up the pistol, causing the crowd to split in half to avoid his aim. "Thank you very much," Eli said as he tucked the pistol back in his waistband and moved for the open path to the door. Before walking out, however, he turned back to Lucy and James. "Thank you for having me, this evening was very lovely," He said, strangely appearing genuine. He then stepped out of the door and closed it behind him, not bothering to wait for Ciara.

Misty Gray (James) Bellz (Lucy) Shireling (Rudolph)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan

Peter had frowned upon hearing that his wife wasn't happy, he knew that just wouldn't do. As they twirled around the dance floor, he could still see the worry in her face. Her expression had gone from happy and content, to full of worry and distress. "Hey now, it'll be alright, its not a crime to have all of your family in the same house. Everyone will be okay dear." Just as he reassured his wife that there was nothing to possibly worry about, it seemed that life had another plan. He could hear the commotion coming from somewhere in the room, and it sounded like things were getting pretty heated. Biting his lip, he knew he couldn't just throw himself into the line of danger now, Sinead would flip. Holding her close, he pretended not to hear the argument that seemed to be happening and twirled her around once more.

"Like I tell Emmy, I like to see my girls smiling and happy. My Sinny doesn't look very smiley at the moment." He commented and offered her a boyish looking smile. "See, not too hard to do!" He told her. She brought up the kids and Peter smiled lightly at her idea of sneaking out for a swim later and leaving the kids with their Aunt and Uncle. "Hmmmm, I sure they won't mind, and we definitely need and deserve a night to ourselves, I love our children, but they are draining the young spirit out of us." He teased lightly before leaning in and kissing the tip of her nose lightly. "I'll ask the old man for you when he's free.." He offered to his wife, looking over where the argument had just ended, seeing the gun being lifted, Peter quickly pulled Sinead off to the side, for fear the man may do something. Instead, he thanked everyone and the hosts for a lovely evening and vanished. Peter looked to James and Lucy, the birthday girl's cheeks were red and her eyes watered with tears. Peter looked to Sinead, knowing as soon as she saw the scene, she would head over quickly.
______________________________________________________
With: Sinead Misty Gray ; Mentions: James Misty Gray ; Eli Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James was going to order Eli around and he wouldn't have been afraid to get into any form of physical fight with the man. But then his younger brother's words and movements suggested he was going to leave the party. The way things stood, that was for the best, so James wasn't about to argue. Eli's words towards Lucy angered James, but the fact their family, including children, were present he forced himself not to react.

When Eli raised his pistol into view, James instinctively reached for his own, which he hadn't mentioned to anyone that he was carrying on him tonight. It was a habit of his and he preferred to be armed in any event. Right now was proving to him that it was a worthwhile precaution. When Eli put his gun away, James moved his arm away from his waist where his own weapon was concealed. His brother parted with a thank you which seemed surprisingly genuine, but still too late. "Goodnight," James flatly replied to his brother.

There was an awkward silence before Ciara eventually spoke up. "Well, Mr Porter. I shall call you tomorrow to discuss business. Enjoy the rest of your evening," she told him. Though she appeared apologetic and sheepish, she felt nothing of the sort. She was mildly irritated she wouldn't get to put forward her proposition in person, but James was clearly going to be less willing to agree with what she had to say now. Better to catch him in calmer times. "Thank you for allowing me to attend this wonderful party." She looked to Lucy and softly smiled. "Please, try to enjoy the rest of your night," she suggested. Ciara then headed out of the house so she could call it a night.

By this point, any patience James had was fully consumed. He would have chased after Eli, but he was sure it would end in a fight of some sort. His response to Ciara could be best described as a mere grunt. He didn't give a shit about business right now. As he watched he leave after Eli, James reached into his pocket for a cigarette and a match, proceeding to calmly light the stick before placing it into his mouth and taking a long drag from it. As he blew the smoke out, he glanced around the room to those watching and nodded his head. "Sorry about the dramatics. Standard party for us lot. Carry on as you all were. There's still plenty of booze for you all to get pissed on," he suggested to everyone.

Seeing the tears in Lucy's eyes, James wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his chest to hold her closely. His other hand, he kept to one side so the cigarette didn't go near her. "I'm sorry, love," he quietly apologised. "I didn't think Eli's presence would cause this much trouble." James kissed the top of her head. He then pulled away and gently squeezed her shoulder. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my office," he added, before walking away from the party in the direction of the room he'd only left a short while ago.

Enzyme (Eli) Shireling (Rudy) Bellz (Lucy)

Sinead Callahan​

Sinead smiled to herself as Peter held her closer and twirled her around. She hadn't yet noticed the commotion, so was content in her husband's arms. She managed a smile at the mention of Emmy. She loved how good Peter was with their children and felt so lucky to have such a kind husband. She looked up to him and returned his smile with a loving one of her own. She perked up when he agreed to ask James and Lucy about the kids staying over. "Yes! We need to do something fun. We're still young at heart so we have to show it," she enthused.

When Peter pulled her off to the side, she raised a curious eyebrow. She then followed his gaze to see Lucy looked upset. "Oh no. What happened to Luce?" she worriedly asked. She squeezed Peter's hand before rushing over to her sister, brushing past James as he rushed back to his office. "Luce?" Sinead asked, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "What happened? Why are you crying, beautiful?" she worriedly asked.

Bellz (Peter, Lucy)

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter and Finn Sullivan

Lucy had tried very hard to not let herself cry in front of Eli, the fucker had already humiliated them tonight and she didn't want to add to her humiliation. The hot tears couldn't be helped however and they flowed freely down her cheeks. She watched the crazed man leave her home, thanking them in the most genuine way possible. Lucy eyed James and saw that he wasn't having it. The blonde turned away from Eli as he strode out the door and looked to the floor. James wrapped an arm around her shoulder and whispered an apology to her, to which she nodded faintly at. Eli's presence here was a clear indicator of what he thought of James' family, the one's who weren't his blood relative. She had tried to be on the man's good side since the time they met, being nothing but nice and cordial to him. Lucy wondered if he deserved such respect after the display he put on tonight, he was James' brother, but he didn't seem to care that she was his wife.

Lucy didn't take credit for the man James has become, she couldn't think to take that away from him. Sure she helped to nudge him in the right direction and helped him see his self worth but the decisions he made were all him. "Its alright love," Was all she could say for James quickly retreated to his office, leaving Lucy to fend for herself in that moment. Biting her lip, she looked in the direction that her husband had gone but couldn't muster up the strength or the reason to be upset with him for leaving her so abruptly. This was harder for him than it was for herself, she reasoned. Dabbing at her eyes quickly, everyone seemed to go back to their normal party festivities. Lucy was gonna excuse herself and head to her bedroom when Sinead hurried over. Lucy mumbled a curse word under her breath, not wanting to drag anyone else into the mess that just happened. "Oh its probably just pre-menopause or something." She waved her hand towards her sister and let out a half hearted laugh. Sniffling slightly, she wiped her eyes one more time, watching as Peter excused himself to follow after her husband.

She was about to say more, when a stumbling and bumbling Finn crashed into her and Sinead. "OH SHIT! SORRY SIN AND LUCE! He said in an obnoxious voice. Seeing the look on his cousins faces, he frowned deeply. "What's wrong? need me to break a few jaws for ya?" He asked both the girls as he mimicked a punch that swung his whole body around in a single swing. Lucy let to a genuine laugh at her cousin's drunken behavior and shook her head. "That's alright Finny, we are just talking." Finn wouldn't have it, he shook his head and held a drink out to Lucy, one he had yet to consume. "Here! I can't find James, Conor or Jackson! Eleanor and I are starting this party for you lot! Join us!" He commanded. Grabbing Sinead and Lucy's hands, he jumped up and down.

"...Than sitting down, oh beside the fire
And in his hand, oh a jug of punch
And on his knee a tidy wench..."

Finn sang an old irish drinking song as if he had been singing the beginning lyrics, carrying on with the tune as he led the ladies to the refreshments.
______________________________________________________
With: Sinead Misty Gray Mentions: James + Conor Misty Gray ; Jackson Enzyme ; Eleanor neverbackdown

 

[Misty Gray]

Conor Sullivan​

Conor laughed when Michelle expressed her distaste at Alex trying to put her in a dress for the party. "Ah, well I'm pretty certain I can take you shopping and do a better job than your mam can. I reckon you and I have good taste," he assured his daughter. He wasn't bluffing. Savannah was girly and preferred to wear dresses or cute outfits, taking after Sinead. Michelle appeared to prefer more casual clothing, perhaps not bothered about dirtying her stuff, whereas there was usually a point where Savannah would avoid games that could ruin her outfits. "You can't climb or play football properly in a dress. Am I right?!" he enthusiastically asked her.

Conor smiled fondly at Michelle as she tried to make sense of the family she had just learned she had. "Yes, the blonde is your Aunt Lucy and her husband is your Uncle James. Sinead is Savvy's mum," he confirmed. "Peter is your uncle too. Savvy, Emmy and Brady are all your cousins," he confirmed. "You have more cousins too, though a little older. They're Delilah, Mallory and Arlo - Lucy and James' kids." He then grinned as he thought of another family member she would yet have to meet. "Wait until you see your grandma Shannon. She's got a real gob on her, but she's not as scary as she seems."


neverbackdown (Alex, Michelle)

Thomas Dempsey​

Tommy grinned as Mallory offered him some vodka. He wasn't about to refuse it, having not been inside for his own drinks yet. "Cheers, Mal." he said, taking the glass from her so he could quench his thirst.

Emery quickly nodded to Mallory. "Oh yes! I'm always having the mostest fun. I'm the dirtiest, my mummy always tells me," she innocently replied. Feeling sufficiently rested, she climbed down from the bench and looked to her siblings. "Listen here! You've both got to catch me now, alright?!" she bossily ordered them. She set off running before Savannah and Braden chased after her. She would last about two seconds before being caught, but the little child still had faith in herself to last longer.

Tommy snickered, picking up on Mallory's used of words. "I wouldn't go telling your old man you think it's better to be dirty," he joked. "He will ground you for life, you young tearaway!" He studied her face as she told him she was 'great'. He wasn't convinced, but this wasn't an interrogation and he just wanted to chill tonight. "I'm alright," he told her. Conway was already dead and he really wasn't sure how to feel about that yet. He nodded as she asked if last night was the first time he'd done the kind of jobs he'd been sent out on. "Yeah, it's the first time I've had to go out and do that, but it had to happen sooner or later. I work for your family, so I'm willing to get my hands dirty when needed," he assured her. "What about you? Do you make a habit of throwing bricks through windows?"


neverbackdown (Mallory)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan

Peter had followed Sinead over to Lucy and James, who both seemed to be in their own heads at this point as James separated from his wife quickly and head towards his office. Staying in the background as Sinead comforted her older sister, Peter looked around at the crowd, who no longer seemed shaken by the outburst of Eli's. Sighing, he looked back toward the office and figured he should chat with James. His desire for excitement was too strong this time, and he needed to get back out there. Lately, he felt as if he wasn't doing enough for his family and the family that had taken him in so many years ago, he felt useless. Sure he was a husband and a father, but he didn't have to work very hard for the luxury that they lived in. Is a man really a man if he doesn't help provide for his family? James and the Sullivans had put him here. Per request of his wife, Peter had given up the only life he knew now, showing him that there was much more to it than just blood and tears. Now for some odd reason, he was ready to return.

Knocking on James' office door once, he let himself in. Not saying a word, he closed the door behind him and made his way to one of the two seats in front of his desk. "Quite the show back there..." He commented lightly as he looked around the office he had been in so many times before. "Everyone seems alright now though, not to worry, sure they will be all too pissed to remember by the end of the night anyhow." Peter wasn't sure how to cut the point of it all, James looked like in no mood to discuss anything at the moment so for now, he tried to steer his mentor and his friends mind away from his thoughts. "You really did a great job mate, Lucy was nothing but smiles..." He admitted, choosing the word 'was' on purpose, as the woman had been in tears when he left to find James.

"Never had siblings, you already know of course, but I'm sure that almost all are just as big of a pain. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." He murmured. "At least that's what I've been told." He wondered when James would cut the small talk and ask him what he was here for, maybe by then Peter would have the courage to say it.
______________________________________________________
With: James Misty Gray Mentions: Eli Enzyme

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James entered his office and closed the door behind him, though he subconsciously hoped he would be followed to talk privately. He'd wanted to punch his brother and give him a piece of his mind, but he didn't want to make things even worse for Lucy's party. With his family, friends and employees around, he'd felt limited to how much emotion he could show. He felt it was better to go try calm down in his office rather than show any sign of weakness in front of those he was supposed to be protecting. He poured himself another drink and he heard someone knocking on the door. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Peter there. He'd been hoping Lucy would have taken the hint and joined him to talk.

James watched Peter as he sat opposite his desk and he motioned to the bottles of alcohol for him to help himself. "Well, I'm glad to hear they're all alright," he replied. When it came down to it, most of them didn't have to think about Eli now he'd left the party. His brother's behaviour towards him and his family was yet another problem James would have to deal with. He smirked when Peter praised him for the party, but his face soon turned stern again. "Yes, it was all going pretty well, until our family's usual luck at parties caught up with us."

Peter continued to make small talk, speaking about the troubles with siblings. The complexity of Eli wasn't really something James would consider typical sibling troubles. He decided not to respond to the comment, not wishing to come across as cold or short with Peter. James cleared his throat and sat forward. "I'm not convinced you came in here to check on my well-being... What's really on your mind, Pete?" he asked.

Bellz (Peter)

 

[Misty Gray]

Sinead Callahan​

"Hmm," Sinead suspiciously mumbled as Lucy answered her question with a comment about the menopause. People often avoided giving her a straight answer and it bugged her, but she wouldn't stop showing her concern to those she cared about. She was going to persist, not happy about seeing her big sister crying, but then Finn bumped into them and brought with him a change of tone.

Sinead folded her arms as she looked her cousin over and she came to the obvious conclusion he was drunk. "No need for the swearing and violence, Finn darling," she told him. She hadn't yet had chance to speak to her cousin since he returned, but she doubted she'd get much sense out of him now anyway. "James is in his office. Conor's with his surprise child. Jackson is with his bigger surprise Romano girlfriend," she informed Finn, whether or not he really wished to know.

"Woaaah there, Teddy!" she exclaimed as he took her hand and began jumping around. As he started to sing, she couldn't hold her serious expression any longer and started to giggle at his drunken behaviour. "You're such a fool, boy," she playfully told him.

By the time they were led to the refreshments, Sinead had decided to get drunk again tonight. If everyone else was allowed to have fun then why shouldn't she? She grabbed a glass jug and began pouring various alcoholic and soft drinks into it, estimating the correct amounts to make a drink she hoped would taste nice. When she was finished, she poured some of her random cocktail into a glass and took a sip. It didn't taste too great as there was too much alcohol in it, but it would be a shame to waste it so she carried on drinking. As she downed the second glass, she looked around to see where Ali had got to. She was happy to see she hadn't been left alone and was apparently talking to Montag.

She poured her third glass before deciding to put on some more upbeat music, perhaps a bit of rock and roll. On her way to the record player, she stopped in front of Lucy and moved close to her ear so her sister could properly hear her tipsy words. "When James... that... that old grumpy husband of yours comes back out... I'm going to make him dance with me. Is that alright?" she asked. Regardless of the answer, she continued on to the record player. She picked up one of the records and snickered to herself as she read the label. "Seriously? How appropriate is this for the Porters household?!" she loudly spoke as she briefly held it up for anyone nearby to see. Without further delay, she stopped the slow music and placed the record that had been playing to one side. She then placed the vinyl she had chosen onto the turntable before setting it to play.

As 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis began to play, Sinead started dancing along in the middle of the room. "Come on. Don't make me dance up here on my own!" she shouted out to everyone, a big smile planted on her face.



Bellz (Lucy, Finn) neverbackdown (Eleanor) Melanin-Gxdess (Ali, Leo) ReverseTex (Montag) Shireling (Rudy) Enzyme (Jackson) nymphadora. (Fallon, Delilah)

 

[Bellz]

Peter Callahan

Peter saw the look in James' eyes, just now having taken notice that James was wishing Peter was someone else, most likely Lucy. When James admitted that he wasn't convinced Peter had come here just to check on him, the man gave a light sigh and a smile. "Ah you caught me.." He said and raised his hands lightly before standing to get himself a drink like the man had silently offered. After pouring himself a drink, he looked at his glass a moment. "So word around the street is there is some new activity..." Peter looked at James with eyebrows raised as he returned to his seat and leaned back. Taking a large gulp of his glass, he sighed again. "I know Sinead doesn't want me involved in what you've got going on and I've really really tried to obey her, really. Happy wife equals a happy life after all, but honestly...my entire life being spent just taking care of my family at home...is not what I want."

Peter chuckled lightly, "I'm honestly kinda terrified of that sweet little woman, and I'm not sure what she's going to say to me after I ask you this. Most likely will end up in the dog house or something." He smiled and wiped at his mouth once before cutting to the chase. "I really want to help you James, I don't think its fair that my children and wife live in this luxury because of what you are doing by yourself...That's my family and I feel that I need to help provide for it. As much as Sinead will hate me for it, I can't sit back and let myself watch you all risk your lives and well being for the comfort of others, especially me. So I guess what I'm asking is, what can I do to help?"
______________________________________________________
With: James Misty Gray Mentions: Sinead

 

[Bellz]

Lucy Porter and Finn Sullivan

Lucy should have followed after James. She felt awful now as Finn led Sinead and herself over to the refreshments table. Clearly, James wanted to speak with her and she was too emotional to see it. Lucy couldn't help the smile that showed on her face however, Finn never ceasing to bring life to a party. Despite the fact everyone had gone back to the festivities, the tension in the air clung to the atmosphere like thick black smoke. Lucy couldn't help but continue to think that this was her doing, Eli had been angry of the lifestyle James was now living, angry of the man he had become. She contributed to such a change in him, even if it was only in the smallest of ways. It seemed that the Sullivans would once again rip the Porters apart. The blonde's chest grew heavy and she followed suit after her sister and grabbed herself a drink. Lucy continued on drinking, getting to 4 glasses before she started to feel a little fuzzy. Sinead whispered in her ear, something about dancing with her grumpy husband, causing Lucy to giggle uncontrollably. Everyone thought he was grumpy, she definitely didn't see him that way. "Ooooo good luck with that!" She said to her sister, who had just continued to stumble towards the record player.

Lucy rolled her eyes and laughed again, her drink in her hand lightly sloshing at her sharp movements as she moved towards Finn. Setting the glass down on a table nearby she motioned for him to follow her. "Come on lad! Can't have my baby sis making a fool of herself all by her lonesome!" She teased Sinead as she pulled Finn towards the dance floor. It was a miracle he was even standing at this point, having been on what could have been his 100th drink by now. She spun him around before moving towards Sinead, beckoning her to grab their hands so they could dance in a circle.

Finn followed the girls drink after drink, taking on two at a time. Finn hadn't been wasted in a long time, having to keep himself sober and sharp for his job with Eleanor. And though it was clear that everyone else was busy in their own drama and business tonight, he still tried to find a way to have some fun with his family. Finn had just gulped down another large glass as Lucy made her way towards him, she stumbled about slightly, a huge grin on her face. She pulled him much like he had earlier towards the dance floor, making the argument that they were participating to save Sinead from embarrassment, even in the drunken state he was in, he wasn't convinced by such an argument. He knew the birthday girl wanted to dance freely for once, most likely tiring of putting on a face any longer.

He could support such a reason and joined the girls in prancing around in a circle. To others around, the giant man dancing and prancing around might look quite comical and humiliating but he didn't care. He spun the girls around under his arm and laughed hard when he almost fell. He looked around at the others who seemed to be just staring openly at them. "You are all still just standing here! Come on!" He chuckled looking to his two cousins for more support.
______________________________________________________
With: Sinead Misty Gray Mentions: Eleanor neverbackdown

 

[Misty Gray]

James Porter​

James raised an eyebrow when Peter confirmed he had other reasons for coming to see him. As his brother-in-law got himself a drink, James refilled his own glass with more vodka. He was very controlled with his drinking, only having enough to relax himself without losing control and focus. He was more similar to his potential business rival, Ciara, than he would care to admit. Only, with Eli now gone and plenty of men guarding the house, James was considering allowing himself to drink more tonight. After the troubles of the last few days, even he agreed he deserved to unwind for at least one night.

When Peter started taking business, it took James by surprise. It was strange hearing him asking about the activity after what felt like so long. As he went on to mention how Sinead didn't want him involved, but he wanted more than the life of a family man, James understood. In an ideal world, Sinead could have the perfect little family she seemed desperate for, but she had to realise her world wasn't a simple one and for her to have the life she had, there needed to be sacrifices. Peter was clearly on the same wavelength as James and the older man allowed him to finish speaking before he would say anything on the matter. He couldn't help the smile that took over him as Peter offered to help him and take back the responsibilities he'd held before Sinead talked him out of it all.

"I'm going to level with you, Peter. What you've just told me is a big weight off my shoulders as I was intending on speaking to you about that. I guess I was worried you'd feel like I was forcing you back into the business, but the fact you're offering to come back makes this much easier." He took another drink from his glass as he thought about Peter's reservations. "I love that you're committed to Sinead and I'd break your legs if that changed... But, you can't back down just because she looks at you with those doe-eyes and gets upset with you. She needs to realise the life she has doesn't come free. If it's any consolation, I'll be the main bad guy as far as she's concerned, but we'll deal with her in our own ways," he suggested. He expected both Peter and himself would get an earful from Sinead, but he knew he wasn't going to back down.

"I need you back here, Pete. It's come to my attention I need more men I can trust completely with this family and this business. I think you and Jackson would work well together, for a start. I reckon both of you would be able to get Tommy up to scratch too; the kid's promising but he needs to be pushed." James paused as he thought of the jobs Peter had done for him in the past and if he was still willing to take as many risks. "I fear things aren't going to remain as peaceful as they have been lately and I need to up our game. What are you willing to do to help?" he asked.


Bellz (Peter)
Mention: Enzyme (Jackson)